Stitcher



J. T. WRIGHT Oct. 7, 1941.

STITCHER Filed Aug.` s, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

BY Jaa-# Z' We/anr ,7M WM@ gym J. T. WRIGHT Oct. 7, 1941.

STITCHER Filed Aug. 8, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HHHHH l l 0 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS J. T. WRIGHT Oct. 7, 1941.

STITCHER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 8, 1939 IN VENTOR. We/af/r JsEp/vZ' /w MWF# ATTORNEYS Oct. 7,- 1941.

STITCHER f 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Fia. 4

ATTORNEYS J. T. WRIGHT Oct.'7, 1941.

STITCHER Filed Aug. 8, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .4W Stmas ATTORNEYSPatented ct. 7, 1941 STITCH-ER i Joseph T. Wright, Day-ton, Ohio,assigner toi Harris-Seybold-Potter d Ohio, a corporation of DelawareCompany, Cleveland,

Application YAugust 8, 1939, Serial No. 288,968 7 Claims. (01.192-144)'Ihis invention relates to improvements .in stitchers, and has referenceparticularly to the control mechanism Afor Asetting the stitching headin motion and ystopping it upon the completion A further object is theprovision o f a. noveltrip box which is normally set to provide a rigidbacking for a knock-out cam` by means of which the clutch is disengaged,together with means adapted to lbe utilized yif desired for preventing asecond stitch without furtherV operation of the control mechanism.,together with means utilizable if desireoleithei` with or withoutthe`n'0nrepeat means, for operating a 'clincher `mechanism.

Other objects and features' of novelty will appear as I proceed with thedescription o f those embodiments of the invention which, for thepurposes of the present application, 'I have illustratedin theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stitcher 'embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale of a rear` portionofthe machine illustrating the `drive,mechanism and the clincheroperating mechanism. n l

Figs. 3 and 4 are elevational views partly in vertical section on thelines 3-3 and v4--4 re'- spectively of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. isa fragmental vertical section taken on the plane of Fig. 2,showlnga modiled form with the parts` ona still larger scale.

Fig. 6 is an elevationalview of a clincher arm which may be employed in``connection with the invention.

FigJl is. an endview of the clincher arm1 on a larger scale. A

Figs-8, 9 and 10 are end, sectional and side views respectively of amodied form of tri-p box embodying the non-repeat means.

Figs. 1l, l2, 13 and 14 arefdetail perspective Iviews of elements of thetrip box mechanism.

Fig. is a longitudinal sectional View of a spring plunger shown in Fig.8.

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Fig. 1'6 is a'view similar to Fig. 10 showing a modiednon-'repeatcontrol.

In` Fig. 1 of the drawings I have illustrated a metal stitching machinecomprising a base II) from the rear portion-of which a column orstandard II extends upwardlyto a convenient height for supporting'agenerally horizontal forwardly extending frame member I2 in' which isjournaled a drive shaft I3 which operates the stitcher head mechanismVlocated in theforward end of that member. The stitcher head is notherein illustrated in detail, `:but may be of the type illustrated in mycopending application Serial No. 283,021, filed July 6, 1939,for'othe'rmechanism for the same general purpose adapted to cut a length of wire,form a staple therefrom, and drive and clinch the staple.

A suitable Work vsupport is provided beneath `the stitcher head. Suchsupport may take different forms, one of which is illustrated herein asconsisting primarily of a hollow arm I4 pivotally mounted at I5 in thestandard I I and provided with a screw I6 threada'bly mounted in the'arm and adapted to bear against the face of the column for the purpose'of adjusting the height of the forward extremity of the arm. A lock nutI'I serves to hold the screw I6 against `accidental movement.

In the base I Il thereV is mounted a pivot I8 upon which is carried alever `I9 the forward end of which is joined by apin and slot connectionwith a crank 20 carried by a cross shaft 2I to the outer ends of whichis securedv a bail 22 conveniently positioned for operation as a footpedal. The rear extremity of lever I9 is pivotally connected with a pulllink 23 extending upwardly in the hollow standard II. Depression of thefoot pedal exerts a downward pull won the link 23, and it is by virtueof'this action that the brake is released `and the clutch engaged whenthe operator desires to form `and. drive a stitch in the work.

At the rear endl of shaft I3 outside of 'the frame of the machine a'ily-wheel 24 is journaled on the shaft and is adapted to be rotatedcontinuously by one or more V-belts 25 that run 'upon the cylindricalsurface of the fly-Wheel and in annular grooves 26 in a pulley 21carried by and secured to the shaft of an electric motor28. The motor isattached to a plate 29 supported upon shoulders formed in a pluralityofposts 30 which extend into bores in the frame I2 and are adapted to beheld in different adjusted positions by means of set screws 3|. A collar32 pinned to shaft I3 serves to prevent the iiywheel from moving axiallyin a rearward direction. A guard for the pulley and belts illustrated at33 is attached by any convenient means to the frame of the machine.

'I'he forward side of fly-wheel 24 carries an annular ange or drum 34which is machined on its inner side to form a smooth clutch surface. Theintermittently, driven portion of the clutch mechanism comprises amember 35 pinned to shaft I3 which carries a pair of rearwardlyextending studs 36 upon which are pivotally mounted two clutch shoes 31that have sectors of substantially cylindrical contour to which aresecured fabric or other friction facings 39. Tension springs 40 attachedto the member 35 and to each of the shoes 31 tend to draw the frictionfaced sectors outwardly into engagement with the machined surface ofdrum 34.

In order to make both shoes move in unison both toward and away fromengaging position I provide a plate 4| which is journaled on the shaftI3 and has notches 42 in its extremities for the reception of pins 43which project laterally from the shoes. In the interest of quietoperation I prefer to make plate 4| of hard fiber or other` non-metalmaterial.

A fstud 44 threaded'into one of the shoes 31 andfprojecting forwardlytherefrom carries a roller 45 the function of which is to disengage theclutch, as will be presently explained. In

order to permit the roller 45 to swing freely with the movements of itsshoe a slot 46 is provided in the'member 35.

On the lforward surface of member 35there is mounted by means of screws41 or the like an annular cam 48, the two elements 35 and 48 togetheroccupying all of the space extending axially between the fly-wheel andthe frame of the machine. Cam 48 has a single high spot .49 which`normally stands in the position in rock arm also carries a pin 53 whichprof ljects through an upstanding lip on a bracket 54 which has upperand lower horizontal arms 55 and 56 that are slidably mounted on a post51 the lower extremity of which is threaded into anextension 58 rigidwith a knock-out cam 59 with` which the roller 45 cooperates as`will bepresently explained. Surrounding post 51 above arm 56 there isl a coilspring 60 which bears at its'upper end against ablock 6| that isslidable upon post51. A pin 62 through the post Ylimits theupwardmovement of block 6| thereon. One end of a brake belt 63, shownherein as of V-belt form, is fastened 'to block 6| by a screw 34 orother suitable fastening. The belt then extends downwardly around aV-groove 65 in member 35 and upwardly to a clamp consisting of twoplates 66 and 61 with inwardly directed prongs, the plates being drawntogether by screws 68.v In order to adjustthe tension of the belt theplate 66 is provided with an overhang 69 through which extends alboltthat projects through a vertical opening in the frame and receives a nut18" at its Vupper end by means of which the adjustment is made.

The' knock-out cam 59 above mentioned is mounted on one side of anupwardly projecting part of a slide 1|, while the extension 58 isattachedto the other side thereof, these three parts being securedtogether by means of screws 12'or their equivalent. Slide 1| is mountedin a trip box 13 made up of four sides and a bottom connected togetherby suitable screws or bolts. This box is xed in the frame of the machineby suitable means such as by three screws 14 extending through bores inthe frame and threaded into one of the side wall members of the box. Acoil spring 15 tends to raise the slide 1| to its upper and operativeposition illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

In addition to the slide 1| the box contains several other parts whichmay differ to some extent in order that the box may perform certainspecial functions amongst which a selection is made according to theuseto which the machine is to be put. I will first describe the trip box asconstituted for general use, permitting the operator to make either onestitch at a time or to make a series of stitches without interruptingthe rotation of the drive shaft, as may be desired. This form is shownin Figs. 4 and 5.

Referring particularly to those figures and to Fig. 11, which is adetail view of slide 1|, it will be noted that a notch 16 is form'ed inone side of the slide to receive a stop 11 that is fastened to a wall ofthe box and extends inwardly somewhat beyond the slide 1|. The movementof the slide is thus limited. Behind the slide there is a latch plate 18`shown in detail in Fig. 12 of the drawings. At its lower end this plateis approximately the same width as slide 1|, but one edge is inclinedinwardly toward the top as shown at 19, and in the opposite edge nearthe top of the plate there is a notch of a size to receive the stop 11.Latch plate 18 near its lower end carries a pin 8| which projects into ahole 82 in slide 1|. It also carries a second pin 83 which projects inthe opposite direction into a hole 84 in another slide 85 which isguided for vertical movement in the box and tends to move in the upwarddirection because of a coil spring 86. A rod 81 extends through thebottom of the box, through the spring 86 and through a bore in the slide85 and is threaded at its upper end to receive nuts 88 for adjustmentpurposes. At its lower end it is bent laterally so as to project througha hole in the link 23 previously mentioned. When the operator depressesthe foot pedal the link 23 and rod 81 exert a downward pull upon theslide 85 which, through the pin 83, acts to tilt latch plate 18 aboutpin 8| as a pivot. The upper end of the latch is therebyswung-clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4, moving the notch 80 out ofengagement with the stop 11. The inclined edge 19 of the latch platepermits and limits this swinging movement. Further downward pull on therod 81 will then move slide 85, latch plate 18 and slide 1I downwardtogether, and the knockout cam 59 will be withdrawn from operativeposition permitting springs 48 to effect engagement of the clutch shoeswith the clutch drum 34. Simultaneously the post 51 will exert adownward pull through pin 62 upon the block 6| which will relieve thetension on brake belt 63 and leave shaft I3 free to rotate.

If the operator desires to drive one stitch only he takes his foot offthe pedal shortly after the high spot 49 of cam 48 moves out from underfollower 59. By the latter action the rock arm 5| is permitted to swingdownward, lowering the arm 56 of bracket 54 and thereby relieving thecompression of spring 68. Now, the operator having released the pedal,springs 86 and 15 again raise the slides 1| and 85 and latch 18 untilment "with theu'pper surface of stop` 11 provides ia rigidV backing forthe load imposed upon the knock-out cam when the roller -45 strikes it.

During the majorpart of the revolution of shaft |`3 even after theoperator has released the foot pedal there is no braking action exertedbecause f the compression of spring 60 has been relieved by the loweringof the rockarm'S'l andthe consequent lowering of the bracket arm 58.Simultaneously with the engagement of roller 45 and knock-out cam'59"follower 'p58 runs up onto Vhigh spot 49 of cam 48, whereby bracketl54 is raised, spring 68- is compressed and belt 63 is pulled tightlyinto engagement with the walls of groove 85, applying a braking action,Athere being little orno pressure between Vthe top of block 6| and pin52.

If the operator is desirous `of driving a series of stitches withoutinterruption he depresses the Vfoot pedalV and'holds it depressed, sothat knockout cam 59 remains down and the engagement of the clutch isundisturbed at the end of each revolution. Also the block 6|' is helddown by pin "62 andthe belt 63 is held'out of braking engagementregardless of the fact that the bracket 54 is moved upward once for eachrevolution of the shaft by the operation of the cam upon follower 58.

purpose` and the details of the various parts are illustratedin Figs. 8to 15 inclusive. In this case the pin 83 on latch plate 18 instead ofextending into ahole in slide 858 extends into `a hole 98 in secondarylatch 89. The latter latch is provided with a relief 9| at its upper endthat is normally engaged by a finger ,92 that is rigidly mounted in theslide 858. A spring pressed plunger 93 mounted in the box tends to movethe upper end of secondary latch 89 to the right,

while a similar spring pressed plunger 94 tends to move the upper end oflatch 18 to the left. 95a isaknock-out lever that is pivotedintermediate its ends upon a pin 96 mounted in one wall of the box, thatwall hav-ing a slot 91 therethrough to receive the lever. A notch 98 isformed in the lever beneath. the pivot point thereof in order to enablethe lever to clear the finger 92. The lower end of this lever 95a isadapted to engage auxiliarylatch 89 and swing it upon pin 83 as a pivotagainst the action of spring plunger 93.

Now, with this form of trip box the engagement of the clutch and thereleasing of the brake are accomplished 'in the same manner as in theform first described, that is to say when the rod 81 is pulleddownwardly, moving the slide 858 downwardly in opposition to the actionof spring 86, finger 92 carried by the slide and engaging the relief9|in auxiliary latch 89 pushes that latch downwardly and operates'through hole 99 and pin Y83 to swing'la'tch 18 clockwise and dis'-engagefit from stop 111. `Further'pull on `the rod 81 is thencommunicated through pin 8| to slide 1| Vand the latter is pulled downtogether with knock-out cam "59 and `brake operating post 51. Now,assuming that the operator does not remove his lfoot from the -footpedal control before a stitchis completed, the machine' willnevertheless stop because thef screw head 95 which is removably mountedon member 35 will strike lever 95a and will `cause the lower end of thatlever to fswing Asecondary `latch plate 89 anticlockwise, disengag'ingit from finger 92. The latches 89 and 18 'and' the slide A1| are thenfree to'risein response to effort exerted by spring 15,` which Icarriesthese parts together with the knock-out cam to their upper operativeposition, `whereupon spring plunger 94 will swing plate 18anti-clockwise into latching position, so that the knock-out camwillthen be set again in declutching position. It will now be impossiblefor the operator to causev the machine to make another stitch untilhehas rst releasedthe foot pedal, because the finger 92 is beneath relief9| in secondary latch 89 and cannot' act to pull that latch down. Whenthe pedal is released however the slide 858 rises and the relief 9|snaps into position under the linger 92. The mechanism is then reset andready 'for further operation. Should it then be desired tooperatefcontinuously, it is only necessary to remove screw 95 which ofcourse renders lever 95a non-operative. Furthermore an alternativeconstruction isused where the non-repeat feature is to be permanent, inwhich case a lever 95h (Fig. 16) is employed. This lever is like 95a butis offset to such extent as to bring its top end in line with the pathof cam lobe 49 which serves to trip the lever as previously described.

A third function of the trip box has to do with clinching the staple,that is the trip box may be used as a mounting and guide for a clincheroperating element, and this feature may be combined either with therepeating or the non-repeating mechanism. The use of the trip box forthis purpose involves the provision of a guide for a reciprocating' postor rod 99 (Fig. 2) which carries at its upper end a roller follower |88arranged to run upon cam 48 and cam lobe 49. The lower end of rod 99projects through the bottom of the trip box and rests upon a block |8|attached to the rear extremity of a lever |82 which is pivoted at |83 inthe hollow arm |4. The forward extremity of this lever carries a pin |84which projects into a slot |85 in a vertically movable driver I'provided with ears which are adapted to swing a pair ofv clinchers |81that are adapted to fold the ends of a staple S (Fig. 7) upwardly andinwardly. V.4. coil spring |88 serves to hold the follower |88 againstthe cam' 48 and to swing the clinchers into inoperative position whenpermitted so todo by the cam. v The single high spot 49 on the cam is sopositioned as to accomplish at different times in the cycle theclinching of the staple and the set- `ting of the brake, and also the.operation of knock-out lever 95 when the non-repeat mechanism isinvolved. When the clincher mechanism is. employed the rod 99 occupiesthe positioniotherwise occupied by the rod 81, and the slide 85 or 858is arranged to be pulled down by a at bar |89 suitably attached to theslide and connected at .its lower end to link 23. (See Fig. 2.) l Theknock-out cam`59 has two separate roller engaging surfaces ||8 and thesurface ||8 being formed about a center which is displaced leftward ofthe center of shaft I3, Fig. 4, while surface III is formed about theaxis of shaft I3 as a center. The roller 45 rides up on the Surface IIIland comes to rest at the juncture of the two arcuate` surfaces, asindicated in Fig. 4, or somewhere on the surface I I I. The surface IIOcompensates for wear of the friction facings 39, that'is the greater thewear the earlier will bethe initial engagement of the roller with thesurface I I0. If the roller V45 should move somewhat beyond the juncturebetween surfaces IIU and III, that is to a point somewhere along thesurface III, before the brake completely stops the rotation of theshaft, the extent to which the clutch shoes are withdrawn will remainalways sullicient for disengagement of the clutch shoes.

When the roller 45 rides up onto the knock-out cam and the correspondingshoe is retracted by being swung around its pivotal mounting 36 inopposition to the action of its spring 40, identically the same movementwill be transmitted to the other shoe by virtue of the plate 4I and itspin and slot connection with the two shoes. Similarly when the knock-outcam is withdrawn by the operators pressure on foot pedal 22 the plate 4Iallows an equalized grip of the shoes upon the clutch surface of drum34. While the action of the clutch is comparatively soft and quiet duetothe resilient qualities of the friction facings, it is possible to usenon-resilient facings because the driving force is due to theself-energizing action of the mechanism. That is to say, the angularrelationship of the drive shaft, the pivot centers of the shoes and thecontact position of the facings upon the drum causes a servo orself-energizing action, independent of the nature ofthe facings. Howeverthe resilient facings which I prefer to use because of their highercoefficient of friction allow an angular relation that is preferablefrom the standpoint of induced stresses in the parts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In mechanism of the class described, a clutch, a knock-out cam fordisengaging said clutch at a predetermined point in its revolution, aplate on which said knock-out cam is mounted, a latch adapted to holdsaid plate against movement when the knock-out cam is in operativeposition, and manual control means for moving said latch to inoperativeposition and retracting said plate, whereby said knock-out cam istemporarily disabled.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a clutch, a knock-out cam fordisengaging said clutch at a predetermined point in its revolution, aplate on which said knock-out cam is mounted, a latch adapted to holdsaid plate against movement with the knock-out cam in operativeposition, manual control means for moving said latch to inoperativeposition and retracting said plate, whereby said knock-out cam is movedto inoperative position, and means for automatically returning saidplate and said latch to operative position when said manual controlmeans is released.

3. In mechanism of the class described, a clutch, a knock-out cam fordisengaging said clutch at a predetermined point in its revolution, alongitudinally movable plate on which said knock-out cam is mounted, arigid guide for said plate, a latch pivotally connected With said plateadapted to hold said plate against movementl in its guide with theknock-out cam in operative position, manually controlled means forswinging said latch about its pivot to inoperative position andthereafter sliding said plate with the knock-out cam to inoperativeposition, and means for returning the parts to operative position whensaid manual control means is released, whereby rigid support is providedfor the knock-out cam in the operative position thereof.

4. In a machine of the class described, a motor, a shaft, means forconnecting the motor and ,shaft comprising a clutch, means tending toknock out said clutch at a given point in each revolution of the shaft,manual control means for withdrawing said knock-out means to permit theclutch members to engage each other and the shaft to make a revolution,and means for automatically returning the knock-out means to operativeposition in the event that the operator should fail to release saidknock-out control means before the shaft has completed a predeterminedportion of its revolution.

5. In a machine of the class described, a motor, a shaft, means forconnecting the motor and shaft comprising a clutch, means tending toknock out said clutch at a given point in each revolution of the shaft,manual control means for withdrawing said knock-out means to permit theclutch members to engage each other and the shaft to make a revolution,and means for automatically returning the knock-out means to operativeposition in the event that the operator should fail to release saidknock-out control means before the shaft has completed a predeterminedportion of its revolution, the release of said manual control meansbeing necessary before a further operation to withdraw said knock-outmeans is possible.

6. In a machine of the class described, a m0- tor, a shaft, means forconnecting the motor and shaft comprising a clutch, a brake, cam meansturning with the shaft for causing said brake to exert braking action onsaid shaft at a given point in the revolution thereof, means tending toknock out said clutch at the same given point in each revolution of theshaft, means under control of the operator for withdrawing the brakefrom operable position and withdrawing said knock-out whereby the clutchis engaged and a revolution of the shaft is begun, and means actuated bysaid cam means for automatically returning the knock-out to operativeposition in the event that the operator should fail to release saidknock-out control means before the shaft has completed a predeterminedportion of its revolution.

7. In a machine of the class described, a motor, a shaft, means forconnecting the motor and shaft comprising a clutch, a brake, cam meansturning with the shaft for causing said brake to exert braking action onsaid shaft at a given point in the revolution thereof, means tending toknock out said clutch at the same given point in each revolution of theshaft, means under control of the operator for withdrawing the brakefrom operable position and withdrawing said knock-out whereby the clutchis engaged and a revolution of the shaft is begun, and means actuated bysaid cam means for automatically returning the brake to operableposition and the knockout to operative position in the event that theoperator should fail to release said control means before the shaft hascompleted a predetermined portion of its revolution.

JOSEPH T. WRIGHT.

